Scared of chemo
I have the choose an oncologist this weekend. One is at a large cancer center but there are constantly screws up over the most basic things (called me with wrong pre-op info night before surgery, sent letters with wrong phone numbers for doctors - it just goes on and on), and the other is a smaller cancer center with what my primary calls a brilliant oncologist. I like both doctors, but the ineptitude of the larger place is causing additional anxiety. I have secondary PTSD resulting from taking 2 traumatized girls into my home who acted out some dangerous behaviors, and now I have anxiety issue already. Every visit to oncologist, my b.p. is really high. Chemo should start in next week. I am lucky, it is Stage One but tumor was HER2+ positive so have to do chemo, radiation, etc. Already scared about the treatment, But the large cancer center gave me some materials to read about the medications, without talking to me about them, so at 8 at night I starting reading and the first paragraph on one of the meds says this: "Very bad infusion reactions have happened with this drug. Most of the reactions happened during or within 24 hours after the infusion. Sometimes, these have been deadly. Talk with the doctor." Quite the bomb to drop on someone. I am literally terrified. The drug is Herceptin, and I've had an echocardiogram, waiting for results, but in the meantime I am having panic attacks over this. I live alone, so no one will be here if something awful happens after I leave the hospital. How do I get through moments like this? Especially since this moment has lasted since Thursday night when I read that.
Comments
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First of all
Know that anyone at any time can have an adverse reaction to any medication. They all have side effects. Your doctor will choose the medication that will do the job with the least amount of harm.
Remember: cancer is tough. The drugs have to be tougher.
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